All posts by richardhoeg@gmail.com

Northern Nights Near Canada!

Background, Year 9, ,

Today will end my Covid quarantine, and tomorrow assuming I mask up, I will be able to reengage with the world. It will be fantastic to spend time with my wife. We have gotten behind in watching “The Crown”!!

As I have noted in prior posts this week, I am hard at work completing the second edition of Snowy’s Search for Color, and have pushed along on my new book … about Smokey the Great Gray Owl! Thus, it should be apparent that my case of Covid is somewhat mild!

Both of my two books on occasion involve using images of the night sky. Thus, after the hard process of making selections and processing edits, there two scenes will be used in the new book.

Milky Way deep in off the Gunflint Trail (It was so dark this night, that when I walked 25 yards away from my car, it was impossible to see my Subaru Outback! The BWCA is rated as having perfectly dark skies by the International Dark Sky Association)

Northern Lights over the Pagami Creek Wildfire Burn Area (I was 18+ miles from the nearest paved road and within yards of the BWCA. During this entire night of Aurora chasing I never saw another person or vehicle … only heard wolves and owls! The Northern Lights had been much more dramatic earlier in the night, but the contrast between the burn area and the Aurora was awe inspiring). The light painting of the wooden bridge in these images was done with the ever so brief use of a tiny flashlight (about 1 second).

Pine Siskin and Friends

Year 9,

A quick winter birding report for NE Minnesota including Sax-Zim Bog. The promised eruption of winter finches is reality. At this time, most of the grosbeaks, redpolls, and other finches are north of the Duluth area. There is a nice sized flock of Evening Grosbeaks using the Sax-Zim Bog bird feeders. As always the best time to see these “yellow birds” is shortly after sunrise. Most of the other finches are not yet using feeders as there is plenty of natural food in the woods. However, the magic hour to easily find them on backroads “gritting up” seems to be around 8:45 to 9:00 am.

Unfortunately the number of raptors, such as our native Great Gray Owls, and migrating into the area Rough-Legged Hawks are way down. I am beginning to believe our local owls did not have a good year breeding. Some of the other raptor populations may have been affected by avian flu (i.e. preyed upon infected ducks). Hawk Ridge had one of its lowest season totals in terms of “banded birds”. Finally, Snowy Owls have not yet appears in the Twin Ports. Hopefully the latter part of December and early January will bring some Canadian owls down to our area. Time will tell, but numbers and sightings are sparse.

This morning I found this Pine Siskin hanging out with a Goldfinch Flock.

In addition, this Bald Eagle was eating moose. I don’t often find moose carcasses, and will have to revisit the scene of the crime. Moose are a lot bigger than deer, and often attract wolves, bobcat and lynx, but I need to go close to sundown.

Under the Covid Crescent Moon

Year 9

Strange topic for a post? Yes, absolutely. However … very much appropriate.

While out in Seattle over Thanksgiving to visit my youngest son and daughter-in-law, I obviously picked up my first ever Covid-19 infection. Although I am fully boosted, and wore a mask while on both plane rides, ultimately it did not make a difference.

Today I am willing to be out of bed, and thus I am working upon adding two more required pages to my book, Snowy’s Search for Color. I have narrowed down my ideas and images. I will start with this photograph. The good news is the edits will bring “Snowy’s Search for Color” back for its third printing (out of print right now)! As always you will be able to download a PDF of this book w/o charge when it is republished.

Three winters ago I took took this photo when the “stars aligned” (or the moon and the Snowy Owl). The owl was out in the open catching the faint red light leftover from the sunset, but also aligned with the crescent moon.

Posts may be infrequent as my strength comes and goes, but my doctor says if I am feeling good … birding is okay. I just have to keep to myself, which is not a too difficult requirement in the Northland.